


When I Go

by chelsywrites



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 03:51:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20251711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chelsywrites/pseuds/chelsywrites
Summary: "And there are so many questions that still burn..."





	When I Go

**Author's Note:**

> listen to when i go by slow club for some context as to why this was written :-)

Hardy finally comes to drinks with everyone on a Friday night.

Ellie spends most of the evening wondering why he chose this particular Friday night to come out, what was so special? He’d always turned down invites before, so much so that they stopped inviting him entirely. However, when Ellie walked into his office that evening the question just slipped out and to her surprise, he said yes. 

Hardy spends the entire night sitting at the bar - of course - she hadn’t expected less. Not like she thought about it though, not at all. Not like she spent the entire night trying to avoid looking at him and failing miserably. Not like any time conversation would die down she found herself drawn to him.

Once she finished her fourth or fifth glass she excused herself from her coworkers and found herself sitting next to Hardy at the bar. He was still on his first glass, she noticed. 

“So,” she said, words slurring more than she would like. He raises an eyebrow at her, “why tonight?”

“Pardon?” he tries and fails to stifle a laugh.

“Why’d you come out tonight? You never come out for drinks. A whole 3 years trying to get you to come out and never. Why?” Ellie questioned, searching his face for any answer.

He scoffed, “Can’t a man get a drink with his coworkers?”

She stared right through him, “You never come out for drinks!”

Hardy turns back to his drink and takes a good swig, “You asked.”

Ellie doesn’t want to contemplate what that means, especially with one too many drinks in her system, so she drops the conversation and they sit in silence. 

When she’s done staring intently at her drink, she turns and focuses her attention on the folks in the pub. While Hardy’s attention is focussed on her.

She watches as people come and go, studies the relationships people have with others. Wonders what they mean to each other.

Thinks of how people view her relationships.

That kind of sends her reeling, reminds her why she doesn’t drink. 

Ellie turns back and taps her fingers on the wooden bar. Her demeanor shifts, shoulders slouch and Hardy can tell she’s bumped into a thought she’s not too fond of. 

“Ellie.” he says, only loud enough for her to hear, and it’s enough to bring her back to life. 

“Did you just call me Ellie?!” She says and looks up at him, absolutely flabbergasted.

“Well it worked didn’t it?” He shrugs and takes a swig, “Now just tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong.” She mumbles, something very clearly bothering her.

“Come off it, Miller.” Hardy says, managing to shock her for a third time tonight. He never pushes her, always lets her deal with things the way she does, but tonight is different.

“Are you seeing anyone?” Ellie blurts out much to her own surprise. She slowly turns her head towards him, bracing for the worst.

He looks just as gobsmacked but quickly collects himself, “No. Now why the hell would you ask?”

She plays with her hands for a moment wondering why the hell she did ask him that.

“I was watching Friends last night...” she starts and Hardy has to try really hard and not burst out laughing. “Shut up, I was watching Friends and two characters... they wanted to be each other’s ‘back up’ if they were still single at 40. I know it sounds dumb, but I can’t stop thinking about it… What if I’m single forever? What if I never remarry? What if…?” 

He can see she’s spiralling and fast, “Let’s take a walk on the beach.” he interrupts abruptly.

“What?” She questions but doesn’t fight him. He throws some money down for their drinks and gives a nod at the bartender.

Ellie’s wobbly on her feet but Hardy is there to steady her balance, he keeps an arm on her back as they walk down to the beach.

He knows she likes it here, knows it’s one of the only reasons she stays.

“Now,” he’s the first to speak, “why the hell are you worried about any of that?”

She signs and stares out at the ocean, “I don’t know.”

He raises his eyebrows, waiting for her to say more.

She never does, too busy watching the way the waves move. 

“Ellie Miller,” he says so seriously she immediately tenses up, “you’re bloody amazing! Any man would be lucky to have you. You don’t need to worry about any of that stuff.” 

He wants to say so much more but he stops himself before he goes to far.

She looks up at him, tears well in her eyes and he wonders what on Earth he said wrong.

“Kiss me.” she says, with such certainty it scares him. 

“What?” he questions as if he didn’t hear her properly.

“Kiss me, Alec Hardy.” she repeats, and holds his hands.

“Ellie…” he trails off, “you’ve had a few drinks… I… I don’t think it’s right…”

“Alec Hardy when a woman tells you to kiss her you do as your told.”

And so he does, grabs her face in his hands and kisses the living hell out of her. Something he dreamed of doing every day for the last 2 years.  
They eventually come up for air, completely breathless. The only sound being their chests heaving and the waves crashing. 

He rests his forehead against hers and finally her world feels at peace in a way she could never have imagined.

“I’m sorry.” is the first thing she says.

“For what?” he laughs out, trying to hide the fact he is shitting himself.

“For the breakdown earlier,” she says and wraps her arms around his waist, relief washes over him. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you that I fancy you.”

“And you thought the best way to do that was to have us be each other’s ‘back up’?” Hardy asks and wraps his arms reassuringly around her. 

“Look,” Ellie sighs and snuggles deeper into him, “I’ve always been waiting for our chance and I honestly thought the moment may have passed.”

“Hey,” he says softly and pulls away just enough to tilt her chin towards him, “it hasn't. Not for me at least.” 

She smiles up at him, her bright and stunning smile with a twinkle in her eye that makes him go weak.

“I…” she trails off.

“I know.” he says before kissing her again, and again, and again.

**Author's Note:**

> want to get into writing more and 4am is as good as time as ever! haven't read through this so have no idea if it makes any sense or anything, but nevertheless i hope you enjoyed :-)


End file.
